My own mother was my main influence

I knew, even before I had my son, that I wanted to be a stay at home mother. My own mother was my main influence as she also cared for me at home. Although things were very tight financially we always had everything we needed, but most importantly we had her.

By ‘being there’ for my son I’ve witnessed the important moments in his development. I would hate to have missed his first steps and his first words. Other parents would say to me ‘what you put in, you will get back’. I couldn’t see this for the first 18 months, at which age he began to speak. It was wonderful to watch my hard work unfold in his speech and mannerisms. It made all those difficult, tear-your-hair-out times worth it! I can’t imagine what it would have been like to not be the main influence in my son’s life.

I appreciate it’s not a choice for all mums and I’m very fortunate to have a flexible job, so I can work two days a week when he is cared for by my parents and his Dad. Money is tight, but we’ve made sacrifices; a smaller car, less holidays, second-hand clothes and toys. People seem to find this hard to do these days. To me, bringing up my son is far more important than my career or any material goods; it’s the most important thing I’ll do while I’m on this earth. In my opinion it also means that my son will learn the value of things. The only thing he gets too much of is love! As a result, we have an amazingly close relationship.

He’s four and a half now and is a very happy, bright little boy, thriving in his pre-school. In fact, I’m enjoying his company so much so that for various reasons I’ve decided to home educate him for the foreseeable future. I feel it’s a natural progression and I’m looking forward to this next part of our journey together!